Chapter 82 Seeing Them Kiss

Chapter 82: Chapter 82: Seeing Them Kiss

Sophie Winslow heard the distinct tone of a command in Stella Sutton’s words. She had to admit that the other woman put on even more airs than she, the actual wife, did.

Ivy Hawthorne let out an amused laugh. Leaning back in her chair with her arms crossed, she said, "Miss Sutton, since when does your reach extend to our editing team? Or would you like to direct the shoot for me?"

Stella knew Ivy was just protecting Sophie. She was deliberately trying to antagonize her.

She leveled her tone. "The theme of the documentary is pharmaceutical research, after all. What purpose does that shot serve? I’m simply reminding you not to deviate from the main topic."

Ivy nodded. "Have we gone off-topic? Isn’t the whole point to film the hard work of the researchers behind the scenes? Think of the impact! Sophie, as a key member of the team, working tirelessly day and night, staying on the front lines even when ill. And Mr. Sterling, as the laboratory’s investor, coming down to the grassroots level to show his support. It even serves as a fantastic positive corporate advertisement for Longview. What a meaningful and perfect theme!"

Stella’s expression darkened. It was pure sophistry!

Sophie knew Ivy was exceptionally good at getting under people’s skin. She knew exactly how to hit them where it hurt.

"But shouldn’t we ask Mr. Sterling for his opinion first?" a woman sitting next to Stella chimed in to support her.

At those words, everyone’s attention instantly snapped back to Julian Sterling, who was leaning lazily in his seat.

Sophie did not move.

It wasn’t until Julian set down his teacup that he finally spoke, his voice mild. "I won’t interfere too much in the production team’s affairs. Miss Hawthorne is quite right. This is a good opportunity to bolster Longview’s positive image."

Sophie was a bit surprised. She wondered why he hadn’t forcefully demanded the scene be deleted.

However, he continued. "But a twenty-second shot isn’t appropriate either. To avoid the unnecessary trouble of straying off-topic, Miss Hawthorne, I must ask you to keep it to only three to five seconds."

Gripping her water glass, Sophie finally looked at the man sitting opposite her. By "unnecessary trouble," didn’t he just mean keeping his distance from her? He didn’t want to become a topic of discussion among the audience alongside her. He wanted nothing to do with her.

Stella caught onto this implication as well. Her previously gloomy expression instantly brightened. She knew it. If it weren’t for the sake of Longview’s corporate image, Julian would never have given Sophie what she wanted.

In fact, her mood had vastly improved. After all, her demanding the scene be cut was nowhere near as impactful as Julian personally making his stance clear.

She cast a half-smiling glance at Sophie. Having Ivy act as her hired gun was useless—Julian simply wasn’t willing to play along!

Ivy’s expression wasn’t looking too good, either. She realized she had absolutely no way to refute Julian’s words. He had perfectly cornered her from every angle; the man had calculated that she wouldn’t be able to refuse.

After Julian made his position known, the atmosphere at the dining table livened up again with a flurry of overlapping voices.

"Mr. Sterling really takes both Longview and our senior’s feelings into consideration. It must be so blissful to have a boyfriend willing to reject all rumors just for you."

Stella turned to look at Julian, her eyes brimming with tender affection. Seeing that he wasn’t going to say anything else, she chuckled softly. "Please, everyone, don’t tease me."

Sophie had long since made her peace with this sort of situation. Julian had taken a massive machete and hacked down the long shot featuring the two of them. Had he not factored in the production team’s schedule and Longview’s corporate image, he likely would have prioritized Stella’s feelings and scrubbed every single frame that included the both of them.

She didn’t involve herself in the conversation across the table at all. She only wanted to finish this dinner quickly and go home to rest.

DING.

She glanced down at her phone.

Adrian Hawthorne: [I’ve booked a flight for the 15th of next month. Let’s meet up then. I have something to tell you.]

Sophie turned her head and whispered to Ivy, "Is the baby daddy coming back soon?"

At the title "baby daddy," Ivy raised a knowing eyebrow. "He told you? He probably won’t leave again. I heard my uncle and the rest of the family are already pressing him to get married."

Sophie was surprised. "So your brother is coming back to get married?"

"I’m not sure about that. You know how it is, my brother has a marriage agreement with the York Family. But since the York Family’s daughter is still missing, even with an engagement, it’s impossible for my brother to wait forever for her to return and tie the knot."

Sophie thought that made sense. He couldn’t just keep waiting forever over a marriage arranged by the older generation. Adrian probably resented his engagement to the York Family anyway. Registering Lydia under his name was simply a tactic to shut the York Family up. Since he "had a child," even if the York Family’s daughter was found, she wouldn’t actually be willing to become a stepmother. Then, the engagement would naturally fizzle out on its own.

After dinner, Ivy had to return to review footage. Sophie headed downstairs alone, ready to go home.

She was long past wanting to hear the endless chatter revolving around Stella and Julian from across the table. She just wanted some peace and quiet.

The moment she stepped outside, a spring rain began to fall. She saw Julian standing right by the doorway. He was looking up at the night rain, his jawline sharp and clean. Standing just before the curtain of drizzle, he was dressed in crisp, cold black, his tall figure straight and imposing.

Hearing her footsteps, he turned to look at her. "Did you drive?"

Sophie hadn’t intended to speak to him. But since he had spoken so unexpectedly, she replied out of politeness, "No."

"Do you need me to drop you off?"

Sophie found his question quite amusing. If he really wanted to give her a ride, would he even need to ask?

"No need."

"Alright."

He didn’t even offer any further pleasantries, as if merely going through the motions was enough to check the box.

"Julian, we should go." A Bentley pulled up, and the window rolled down. Stella poked her head out, casting a glance at Sophie before speaking to Julian.

Julian strode over on his long legs and got straight into the car.

Sophie grew even more certain that his offer had just been fake politeness. How could he possibly have given her a ride? He would never have allowed her to get into the car and ruin his private time with Stella.

Sophie retracted her gaze. She was already used to being the one left behind. It didn’t really stir any emotions in her anymore. Hailing a cab, she headed straight back to her apartment.

The next day, the research formulations continued.

During the lunch break, Sophie grabbed her boxed lunch and went to find Ivy, who was monitoring the screens behind the scenes, so they could eat together.

The filming was non-stop. Sophie was quite curious about what it felt like to watch from behind the scenes. Sitting in front of the row of monitors, she was stunned. "This really captures everything crystal clear. Just how many cameras did you set up?"

Ivy looked smug. "You know what I do for a living. Whether someone is secretly picking their nose, scratching their butt, or stealthily pulling a wedgie, I see it all clear as day."

Sophie was speechless. It really didn’t need to be that detailed.

Facing all these feeds from different camera angles, it truly felt like she was binge-watching a live drama.

Sophie took a few bites of her lunch. When she looked up again, she noticed two figures entering the frame on one of the split screens. It was a corner of the Western medicine raw materials analysis room.

Julian was on the phone, and Stella was standing right in front of him, on her tiptoes, whispering something into his ear. Then, her face flushed red. Tilting her head up, she stared affectionately at the man’s noble, handsome face, slowly lifting her chin to lean in, driven by passion...

CLACK!

Ivy violently cut the feed at the very last second before the critical moment. She looked with a complicated expression at Sophie, who was frozen with her chopsticks poised to pick up food.

"That bitch. She knows perfectly well there are cameras around, yet she still tries to get all lovey-dovey right in front of them..." Ivy wanted to curse her out, but she was more worried about how Sophie felt after seeing such a suggestive live broadcast. She refused to believe Stella didn’t know there was a camera in that room!

Sophie held her chopsticks in that position for a few seconds. It wasn’t until the cilantro gripped between them dropped back into her lunch box that she lowered her head and resumed picking the despised herb out of her food. She tossed it into the trash can.

"It’s fine. I stopped caring a long time ago."

Whether or not they actually kissed in the cut footage, she didn’t care. With their divorce looming, it had nothing to do with her anymore.

Ivy hesitated, wanting to say something but stopping herself. Finally, she could only grit her teeth. "Isn’t she just trying to go toe-to-toe with you? Yesterday we filmed you and Julian, and today she instantly pulls a stunt like this. Her intentions are plain as day!"

She wanted to keep this shot? Keep dreaming!

Evening fell, and the day’s filming wrapped up.

The team from Kingsford University headed back to the school early to prepare their reports. As Sophie was heading toward the stairwell, she happened to run into Stella. The other woman threw a glance at her, then coldly withdrew her gaze.

Sophie had a strange illusion. Why did Stella’s attitude make it seem like Sophie was the other woman? She marveled at the woman’s sheer audacity and decided she might as well go wait for the elevator during the evening rush hour instead.

But just as she turned around, she saw Barbara Coleman stepping out of the elevator with an awful look on her face. Barbara stormed right past Sophie, marched straight up to Stella, raised her hand, and delivered a vicious slap!

Grabbing Stella by the collar, she spat, "You want to marry into the Sterling Family this badly? Wait for your next life!"